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Fr Themi Adamopoulos: ‘Without Greek Australians my work in Africa would not be possible’

The Greek Herald
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Fr Themi Adamopoulos: ‘Without Greek Australians my work in Africa would not be possible’

By Ilias Karagiannis.

He has the visionary flame in his eyes, and his lively speech is dotted with the bits of his intelligence. Father Themistocles Adamopoulos is not the priest you are used to.

Child of Melbourne, a marxist rock star who renounced the mundane for Christ’s sake, and today in a waterless place, Sierra Leone, where the seven plagues of the Pharaoh have fallen, is the sire of hope for the pariahs of this world.

With the torch of faith mirrored in his eyes, restless at 77 years old, he does everything for a world that is forgotten by the West.

A few days ago he was in Athens to be honoured by the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, with the “Argo” award for his humanitarian contribution and we did not miss the opportunity to meet him and have a pithy conversation with a missionary who ministers to pure love without discrimination.

The Greek Herald unblocks the bolted doors of memory, and takes us to other times, familiar to those who read these lines.

The award and the female president:

Father Themistoklis Adamopoulos left Australia in 2007 and settled in Africa. First to Kenya and then to Sierra Leone.

He has established the first university Orthodox College, the “African Orthodox University College”. Before that he studied theology and was awarded his degree from the Catholic Theological Seminary “Corpus Christi”. He attended the Holy Cross Theological Seminary in Boston and studied Hebrew and ancient Greek at Harvard University.

He then received his doctorate in Theology from Princeton University and returned to Australia, where from 1988 to 1998 he taught at The Sydney School of Theology “St Andrew’s” and the University of Sydney.

Today, he has contributed to the creation of an orphanage, a kindergarten, a school and the infrastructure that has greatly improved the daily lives of thousands of people in Africa.

In addition, he makes sure that children and women are provided with necessary goods, such as clothes, shoes and meals at a soup kitchen. The above were a reason for his award, which found him completely unprepared, as he confesses to The Greek Herald.

“I was in Sierra Leone when my phone rang and they told me they wanted to award me. I was surprised. I didn’t expect it from a secular, non-ecclesiastical organisation like Argo. You know, today the church is hostile to Europe. They don’t respect the church like they used to. People who go to temples are outnumbered. Everyone brings out the negatives,” says “Father Themi,” as he is better known in Sierra Leone.

“Maybe not in Greece but certainly in Europe. So there is a tendency to move away from the church. In this connection, therefore, the recognition of a non-ecclesiastical organisation of our work struck me. It was a great joy and honour and it turned out that in Greece there is still respect for the church.”

The award was presented by the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou. An unusual image for Greece until a few years ago to have a woman as a first citizen.

“Although I am Greek I have not lived in Greece more than 5 to 6 months in my entire life. Coming from Australia, where the position of the woman has been quite strong since the 1970s, when the wave of feminism flared up, it did not strike me that she is a female president of the Republic,” the Father says.

“From young children we have learned that man and woman have the same rights. I am glad that there is a woman president of the Republic in Greece. It doesn’t seem strange to me at all. Perhaps for Greece it was.”

Immigration to Melbourne and the first negative pictures:

His first steps in life took place in a mythical city for Hellenism: Alexandria, Egypt. “In those beautiful years I first felt the pride of a Greek of the Diaspora,” he says.

In the mid-1950s when he was about 10 years old, his family decided to emigrate. In a game of fate, his father decides to send a request for a visa to two embassies. Of Australia and Brazil.

“In Australia they responded to us immediately while in Brazil it took too long. I don’t know, maybe they were having a siesta” says Father Themistocles with his childish smile. “So my father said Australia looks a serious nation and we’re going there.”

And they sailed for a new, promising life, which in the early days, though, in Melbourne everything seemed nightmarish.

“We arrived by boat to Melbourne and the images we saw were unnerving,” he explains.

“The streets were full of mud. The toilets were outside the house and I remember my mother, who was a teacher, was on the verge of psychological collapse.

“From a house of our own in Alexandria, which at the time was very developed, with natives helping with the chores, we ended up in a residence that had the toilet outdoors.

“Everything seemed difficult in those days. My father, who was a chemist, was forced to work as a labourer.”

After a while of course everything changed. Father Themistocles’ mother found work as a teacher and his father as a chemist while he began to grow up having concerns.

Nature creative and insubordinate channeled his passion into music and politics. In the years of the 1960s, when humanity was vibrating by revolutionary movements, “Father Themi” read Marx and was the leader of the band “Flies”. He even sang at the side of Rock’s bad boy, Mick Jagger.

The enemy of the church and the passage from religions:

The future did not suggest that he would once wear cassock. “If you told me when I was 23 years old: ‘Themistocles in a few years you will become a priest I would … vomit ” says Father Themistocles in his spontaneous style.

“The church was in those days my enemy. I thought it was taking advantage of the world. So if someone told me I was going to be a priest, I would say … whatttt? I was reading Marx at the time and I wanted the worker to rise up and not be exploited by his bosses.

“However, at some point reading about Christianity I realised that all that Marx was saying about solidarity with man had been written thousands of years ago.”

“Something happened and prompted me to start reading about the Bible. I saw something which I did not expect. It was something of a vision. It’s something I don’t want to talk about too much because I don’t want to lose it’s value. So when I saw it, what I saw led me to the search.”

 

But he did not immediately go to Christianity. Hinduism and Buddhism were in his earliest pursuits before he espoused to the depths of his existence Christianity.

Some of the readers of The Greek Herald may remember him many years ago going out into the streets of Melbourne and preaching the will of God with a cross in his hand.

“I was a fanatic at first. I read The Gospel day and night. My parents thought I was sick. Then I started going out into Melbourne squares with a cross and teaching. That was excessive but I wanted to show Christ that I was a new man.”

The social role of the church in Australia:

At the time when Father Themistocles’ march to Christianity began, orthodoxy occupied a prominent place in the community, as he confesses to us.

“The church in Australia also had a social role for the community. For example, Mr Costas, who all week endured the Australian over his head, treating him badly and cursing him and trying to endure because he was in need his family came to church on Sunday and felt differently because he was the president of the local community. At that time I was greatly helped by Athanasios Triantafyllou, who at that time was not yet a priest. He is currently in the parish of St Basil in Brunswick. He knew the Gospel by heart and better than the priests then” tells us Father Themistocles, who thanks to the late Archbishop of Australia, Stylianos went to Boston to study.

But because of him, as he tells us, he left the country permanently. A confrontation that led him to Africa.

“When I came back from America to Australia everything was fine. But I quickly found that we were losing a lot of people because the sermon was in Greek. Younger generations could not understand,” he said.

“So I went to Archbishop Stylianos and told him that in order to keep the faithful in churches we needed the sermon in English as well. He flatly told me no. We are Greeks said characteristically and reacted. There was a conflict between us and I was sad.

“Even more so as I watched the churches empty. I was going to my parish houses and everyone was telling me I don’t understand anything why I should come. I was very disappointed in that period. And so I thought I’d go somewhere else.

“I said after I was born in Alexandria that it might be time for me to return to Africa. I sent a letter to the then Patriarch of Alexandria, Peter and explained to him that I was a professor in Sydney and wanted to go to Africa. I also told Archbishop Stylianos and he gave me his blessing. I think with joy after what had happened.”

The great work in Africa and the Greeks of Australia:

Today Father Themistocles is in Sierra Leone, where he has done great work. We ask him to become the eyes of our readers and say what he would see if someone went there today.

“He would see orphanages, kindergartens, schools, a clinic with a doctor who has been studying in Europe. A modern two-storey school. The gratitude of the children when they saw the school will be unforgettable,” he says.

“I remember they were jumping around when they saw the new building. The situation is slowly improving. I remember in 2007 we had power for half an hour a day. Today the electric current is more stable. When I came, Sierra Leone was the poorest country in the world. Today it has improved a bit.

“The main problem in Sierra Leone is poverty. The father who has no money to send his child to school. The mother who has four children. Two on the shoulder and two on the arms. She walks like this because her husband has abandoned her. She must find a way to feed her children.”

He tells us in a trembling voice of the great work of the churches. “If someone were to drive all the churches out of Africa tomorrow, 40 million people supported by their charity work would immediately die.

“I mean, look at this.

“A cappuccino costs 4 euros in Athens if you sit in the cafeteria. The 4 euro is 44,000 Leon (the Local Currency of the Sierra Leone). With this money a native can live with his family for two to three days. A cappuccino gives life to a family in Sierra Leone for two to three days”, says Father Themistocles, who in his speech during his award warmly thanked the Greeks of Australia.

“The Greeks of Australia have made a significant contribution to our work. Without our diaspora my work in Africa would not have been possible. They have contributed about 50% of the total offers we have received.

“At the same time from Greece we have the other 25% and from America the rest. I want you to write that there is an excellent team that helps me from Australia. It is called “Paradise 4 kids” and thanks to their help we have done a lot of good in Africa” concludes in a hearty confession the saint of Africa, as he is called.

* Those who wish to help the work of Father Themistocles can contact Louis Toumbas: ltounba@gmail.com

Greek divers discover Italian World War II submarine wreck

The Greek Herald
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Greek divers discover Italian World War II submarine wreck

Greek divers have discovered the wreckage of an Italian submarine 80 years after it was sunk by the Allied Forces in the Aegean Sea during World War Two, Ekathimerini reports.

The Jantina, which had sailed from the Greek island of Leros with 48 sailors on board, sank on July 5, 1941, after being hit by torpedoes fired by British submarine HMS Torbay.

Kostas Thoctarides and his team discovered the shipwreck.

She was discovered last month by Greek diver, Kostas Thoctarides and his team, south of the island of Mykonos at a depth of 103 meters.

“Naval history is like a puzzle, and this is part of that puzzle,” Thoctarides said after the discovery.

Jantina’s identity was verified using records from Italy’s Naval History Office, Thoctarides said.

Source: Ekathimerini.

George Karageorge buys Surry Hills City Crown Motel for $11.5 million

The Greek Herald
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George Karageorge buys Surry Hills City Crown Motel for $11.5 million

The Surry Hills City Crown Motel has sold for $11.5 million to prolific property developer George Karageorge, according to realcommercial.com.au.

The motel has 28 tiny rooms and is well located at 287-289 Crown Street.

With three property developers and two other high-net-worth investors registered, bidding started at $9 million and rose in $100,000 increments to $10.5 million, where it passed in.

The Surry Hills City Crown Motel.

Twenty minutes later, the motel sold to Karageorge who plans to convert it into apartments.

The site previously had development approval for a new 42 boutique hotel by adding an additional three storeys, but that has now lapsed.

Karageorge is the owner of Stasia and has done about 20 apartment projects of various sizes around Surry Hills.

Source: realcommercial.com.au.

‘Bridging the gap’: Maria Anthony on the importance of intergenerational programs

Andriana Simos
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‘Bridging the gap’: Maria Anthony on the importance of intergenerational programs

In July 2019, Kogarah Community Services (KCS) was successfully awarded the MUSTER grant through the Australian Government Department of Social Services and the Honourable David Coleman MP to coordinate intergenerational programs within the local community.

In response, the Executive Officer of KCS, Shelley Ross, brought in Maria Anthony to implement a program which would ‘bridge the gap’ between the young and elderly, whilst also bringing joy into their lives.

‘They lived in that moment’:

Maria, who is a proud Pontian, speaks exclusively with The Greek Herald about these intergenerational programs and says they are not just about the youth ‘singing and dancing’ for the elderly but rather, it’s about forming connections, learning about migration history and ‘bringing a smile to people’s faces.’

Youth play games with the elderly.
  • School excursion to a costume exhibition organised by the Hellenic Lyceum of Sydney.
  • Maria Anthony (left) says intergenerational programs teach students about history as well.

Take for example, a six-week program run by KCS at local schools where seniors go into classrooms and get interviewed by students about their life in Australia. These students are then asked to give a presentation on the person they interviewed.

“It’s fitting into the school curriculum as well and at the same time, connecting and making friends. When we finished [the program], the young boys and girls, who were between the ages of 15 and 16, were devastated we weren’t going to come back,” Maria says.

Elsewhere, elderly residents from aged care homes such as St Basils Kogarah and The Laurels also get to mingle, dance and sing with young students at cultural festivals such as the Festival of Ages.

Dancing for people in aged care homes.

“When I asked the Director Manager of The Laurels, ‘how do you think [the festival] impacted your residents?’ She said, ‘they might not remember what they just did, but they actually lived in the moment’,” Maria explains.

“So they might have dementia, they might not remember what they did five minutes ago, but they’re actually living the moment and that’s something that really, really stood out to me and just shows the importance of these programs.”

READ MORE: Adelaide High Students join seniors to learn Greek and keep immigration stories alive.

Changing perspectives:

Although organising these intergenerational activities with nursing homes has become more difficult due to COVID-19 lockdowns, Maria hasn’t given up.

In fact, for Christmas this year, Maria organised for residents at The Laurels and St Basils Kogarah to make Christmas cards for young students at Carlton Public School and Kogarah Public School. In return, students from those schools, as well as Georges River Council Ocean St Preschool, made Christmas cards and decorations which were distributed to four local aged care homes.

Christmas cards from Kogarah Public School students.
  • Cards from elderly in The Laurels.
  • Carlton Public School Christmas Cards.
Georges River Council Ocean St Preschool Christmas cards.

Of course, physical aged care home visits were off the agenda this festive season, but Maria hopes they will also be able to resume soon as she’s seen the benefits of them first-hand.

“What we have witnessed with the intergenerational program is nursing homes have over two or three activities every day but you speak to any of the staff in the nursing home, and I’ve witnessed it myself, it doesn’t matter how many activities they have. It’s the same workers, it’s just amongst them,” Maria explains.

“But when we were going every week, there were men that took a few weeks to get out of the room and the staff would literally be in tears and hug me and say, ‘Maria, this man never leaves his room’

“So the fact that when we walk in with the kids, we sing, we make noise, everyone is curious to see what’s going on and then what they do is they follow us, they sit down and somehow they connect with a child. And then when we come the following week, that same resident will go straight away to that same child.”

Young people bring joy to the elderly through these programs.

Maria says the benefits of this are immense and range from increased interest in the aged care sector amongst the younger generation, to a shift in perceptions between the elderly and youth.

“I think it’s really important that our teenagers and our youth have respect for our seniors. You have a lot of seniors these days that think teenagers are spoiled… but then you have a lot of teenagers that think old people are just grumpy and don’t care about us,” she says.

“But we’ve witnessed that this intergenerational program has really, really changed the mindset of youth and of seniors. So the program is more than just kids going and singing. It’s really about bridging the gap between the generations.”

An important cause which we hope to see taken up by the Greek and broader community across Australia.

To find out more about the KCS intergenerational program or to register for an event, please contact Maria on 9553 6506 or visit www.kogarahcommunity.org.au.

Greeks named among Australia’s top 100 young entrepreneurs

The Greek Herald
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Greeks named among Australia’s top 100 young entrepreneurs

The Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs in Australia for 2021 have been named and among the influential list are five Greek Australians.

To celebrate their accomplishments, we take a look at their impressive careers so far.

18. Chris Anastasi and Nathaniel Anthony (Muscle Nation):

Chris Anastasi and Nathaniel Anthony started Muscle Nation about five years ago from a spare room in Nathaniel’s grandma’s house and now it’s grown into a multimillion dollar empire selling activewear, supplements and health food.

READ MORE: Chris Anastasi and Nathaniel Anthony from Muscle Nation land huge deal with Coles.

In July, Chris and Nathaniel also announced a nationwide deal with Coles for its custard filled Protein Bar.

“It is rare to see an Australian online retailer successfully secure a deal with a large national grocer so when the opportunity presented itself we wanted to do something special,” Chris said at the time.

To keep pace with growth, the company is also set to open a new facility in early 2022.

42. Michael Christidis (Untitled Group):

L-R: Michael Christidis (28), Christian Serrao (29), Nicholas Greco (31), Filippo Palermo (28) and Thomas Caw (32).

Michael Christidis, along with Nicholas Greco, Christian Serrao, Filippo Palermo and Thomas Caw, all founded Untitled Group.

The company organises some of Australia’s most beloved music festivals and events, including Beyond The Valley, Pitch Music and Arts, Ability Festival and Wildlands.

But due to most of these events being cancelled this year due to COVID-19, the boys pivoted their business model and instead ran live-streaming events, launched a domestic artist agency with more than 30 artists already signed to it, purchased South Yarra nightclub The Emerson, and doubled staff numbers.

The company also began supporting Australian brands the founders loved, including investing in fellow Top 100 lister Mr Yum and a $300,000 investment in pear juice brand Bae Juice.

For 2022, Untitled Group has planned more than 100 COVID-safe events.

55. Alexis Soulopoulos (Mad Paws):

Mad Paws is a pet services giant and was founded by co-CEOs Alexis Soulopulos and Justus Hammer, alongside Jan Pacas, in 2014.

The company was listed on the ASX in March this year as ‘MPA’ following an IPO which bagged Mad Paws $12 million in capital.

Though the MPA shares remain hovering around the initial $0.20 IPO price, its presence on the boards represented a turning point for the company.

The company is in the process of growing its tech-focused online marketplace for services like pet sitting, dog walking, pet food and pet insurance.

Since listing, Mad Paws made its first acquisition – dog treats and toys subscription service Waggle Club – for $3 million in June.

90. Nicholas Mitrosillis (The Yiros Shop):

From its origins as an authentic Greek food takeaway chain with outlets spread around Southeast Queensland, The Yiros Shop could be set to skewer a new market segment after a successful drive-thru launch in Logan early this year.

The concept has given founder, Nicholas Mitrosillis, the confidence to roll out more drive-thrus as the main source of expansion in the near future.

Mitrosillis says it is actually easier to secure sites for The Yiros Shop with drive-thru given the lack of Greek food options in the format.

“You can’t go put three burger places next to each other, two Mexican places, so we always get asked to go in the mix,” Mitrosillis says.

In the future, the entrepreneur plans to open up restaurants all over Australia with an ambitious goal to create the biggest Greek food franchise in the country, and one of Australia’s largest fast-food franchises.

91. Harry Karefilakis (Kare Group Australia, Ethos Electrical Services, All Steel Designs)

After persisting through lockdowns in Melbourne with his electrical contractor Kare Group in 2020, Harry Karefilakis launched his second business in the sector in 2021 to cater to larger, unionised projects.

In the second half of this calendar year, Karefilakis also launched All Steel Designs, a nationally-focused business that provides internal steel doors and front doors for houses.

“I just love business. I can sit and work on someone else’s business for days, not getting paid and I don’t even notice I’m doing it.” Karefilakis says.

Source: Business News Australia.

On This Day in 1957: Greek songwriter, Nikos Portokaloglou, was born

The Greek Herald
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On This Day in 1957: Greek songwriter, Nikos Portokaloglou, was born

Nikos Portokaloglou is a much-loved Greek singer, songwriter and lyricist. He started his career in 1980, when he founded the music band Fatme.

The first album of the band was released in 1982 under the title Fatme. The band was so successful it released six albums altogether.

Later, in 1990, Portokaloglou started a solo career. He has also written movie soundtracks including those for Akropol, Valkanizater and Brazilero.

To mark the occasion of his birth, The Greek Herald shares his top five songs.

1. Ta karavia mou keo (Τα καράβια μου καίω)

2. Thalassa mou skotini (Θάλασσά μου σκοτεινή)

3. Ena fos anammeno (Ένα φως αναμμένο)

4. Metro ta kimata (Μετρώ Τα Κύματα)

5. Oti de se skotinei (Ό,τι δε σε σκοτώνει)

Tennis fever hits Australia as star players prepare for tournaments

Andriana Simos
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Tennis fever hits Australia as star players prepare for tournaments

It’s that time of the year again! The sun is out and there’s anticipation in the air as Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne all prepare to host some of the world’s best tennis stars for a number of upcoming tournaments.

First up is the Adelaide International, which will run from January 2 to 9 next year. Greek tennis legend, Maria Sakkari, and 28-year-old Despina Papamichail, have both already arrived for the tournament and have begun training.

READ MORE: Despina Papamichail looks forward to seeing Greek Australian fans at the Australian Open.

  • Maria Sakkari arrives in Australia. Photo: Instagram.
  • Despina Papamichail will be playing at the Adelaide International.

They will go up against eight of the world’s top ten women in tennis, including defending champion Iga Swiatek, Ashleigh Barty and Aryna Sabalenka.

Elsewhere, South Australian tennis player, Thanasi Kokkinakis, has also been awarded a wildcard for the first week of the Adelaide International.

Kokkinakis will be making his debut at the tournament as he continues to make his comeback from injury. 

Thanasi Kokkinakis has been awarded a wildcard for the first week of the Adelaide International.

Stefanos Tsitsipas sharpens skills ahead of ATP Cup in Sydney:

With just two days to go before ATP Cup kicks off on January 1, Stefanos Tsitsipas honed his game on the practice courts at Sydney Olympic Park on Wednesday.

In his first practise at this year’s event, Tsitsipas worked out under the watchful eye of his father and team captain Apostolos.

The World No. 4 spearheads Greece in Group C and is scheduled to meet Hubert Hurkacz, Diego Schwartzman and Nikoloz Basilashvili in group play.

Stefanos Tsitsipas has been spotted training in Sydney.

After withdrawing from the ATP finals this year due to an elbow injury, Tsitsipas’ season certainly ended on a low note. But it was still a great season for him, where he won two titles and reached his first French Open final.

He hopes to kick off this new season with a bang and of course, with the support of Greek Australians.

Nick Kyrgios accepts Sydney Tennis Classic wildcard:

Nick Kyrgios’ path towards the Australian Open appears set, with the Aussie accepting a wildcard entry to the Sydney Tennis Classic.

Kyrgios, now ranked 93rd in the world after a quiet 2021 season, will contest the Sydney Tennis Classic from January 10.

Nick Kyrgios has accepted a Sydney Tennis Classic wildcard.

“I’ve been training at home in Canberra and here in Sydney and I feel good after an extended break from the game,” Kyrgios told ABC News.

“I’m looking forward to the final hit-out before the Australian Open, thanks to Tennis Australia for the opportunity to play.”

Kyrgios will go up against strong contenders at the tournament, including Australian men’s number one Alex De Minaur.

Greece introduces new restrictions as COVID cases jump to a record 28,828

The Greek Herald
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Greece introduces new restrictions as COVID cases jump to a record 28,828

The Greek government said on Wednesday that a batch of new restrictions in entertainment, work and sports announced earlier this week to contain the spread of COVID-19, will take effect at 6 am on Thursday instead of January 3.

Following a meeting on the pandemic chaired by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Health Minister Thanos Plevris said entertainment and food service venues will close at midnight, have no standing customers or music and only allow a maximum of six per table.

People wearing protective face masks walk past a cafe amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Athens, Greece, on Tuesday. Photo: Costas Baltas / Reuters.

High-protection KN95 or FFP2 masks, or alternatively a double layer of other masks, will be mandatory in supermarkets and public transport, as well as by employees in the food service sector. 

In public and private sector workplaces, half of staff will have to work from home and staggered shifts will be reintroduced.

In sports stadiums, admissions will be limited to 10% of the venue’s capacity, with a cap of 1,000 spectators and visits to retirement homes will be limited to those who have performed a PCR test within the previous 48 hours.

A member of the medical staff at the National Public Health Organisation (EODY) conducts a COVID-19 rapid test on a woman in Athens. Photo: AP Photo / Thanassis Stavrakis.

These measures come as new coronavirus cases in Greece smashed a third record in as many days on Wednesday, reaching the unprecedented number of 28,828.

Fatalities also rose on Wednesday to 72 – from 60 the day before – taking the COVID death toll to 20,636.

Source: Ekathimerini.

Funeral held in Athens for former Greek President Karolos Papoulias

The Greek Herald
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Funeral held in Athens for former Greek President Karolos Papoulias

The funeral service of the former president, Karolos Papoulias, took place with full state honours on Wednesday at the Church of Agios Spyridonas in Pangrati, Athens. 

Papoulias died on Sunday, December 26 at the age of 92.

A number of Papoulias’ family members and officials were present at the funeral including Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras, KINAL leader Nikos Androulakis and Communist Party leader Dimitris Koutsoumbas.

READ MORE: ‘A visionary of peace’: Tributes pour in for former Greek President Karolos Papoulias.

Officials in attendance. Photo: Intime News.

Sakellaropoulou delivered a small eulogy and praised Papoulias for his work ethos and patriotism.

“Today we say goodbye to a faithful and unyielding servant of our country. The nobleman from Epirus, who was never tempted by the trappings of power,” she said.

“His commitment to national interests had been stable and experiential. He marched through politics with the distanced devotion that gave him the great advantage of clearly distinguishing the big picture in diplomacy and the path of the country.”

Photo: ANA – MPA / Alexandros Beltes.

Papoulias served in the largely ceremonial office for two terms, from 2005 to 2015. One of the founding members of the socialist PASOK party, he was its foreign minister in 1985-89 and 1993-96, and served as MP for his native Ioannina for 26 years.

Papoulias will be interred in the city of Ioannina on Thursday.

Source: Ekathimerini.

‘There is no Kytherian house without relatives in Australia’: Mayor Efstratios Charchalakis

The Greek Herald
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‘There is no Kytherian house without relatives in Australia’: Mayor Efstratios Charchalakis

By Ilias Karagiannis 

Mythical Kythera: the benchmark for Australian Hellenism. The visitor’s eye is lost in the haze of the sun’s reflections on the sea where according to the myth of Hesiod the goddess Aphrodite emerged.

Nearly 80,000 Australian Greeks have come from the island of 4,000 inhabitants, who pride themselves on their ancestry. Unknown and well-known Κytherians, such as the Oscar-winning director, George Miller, Peter Maneas of the famous show “My Greek Odyssey”, the well-known businessmen, Nick Politis, Peter Magiros, Minas Souris and Professor, Maria Zarimis, among many others.

The Mayor of Kythera, Efstratios Charchalakis, is not wrong when he tells the Greek Herald that: “the [Greek] diaspora in Australia is the alter ego of Kythera and Kytherians. There is no Kytherian house that has no relatives in Australia.”

Although the Mayor of Kythera is only 40 years old, he is distinguished for his dynamism and his vision for the island. He is a “doer,” as we say in Australia. He does not say much, but he does a lot, having 22 years of experience in local government.

The “First Week of Australia” was organised during his mayoralty with the second to follow in 2022.

In his thoughts the vision of the emblematic Museum of migration was born, which when built, will be a reference point for expatriate Hellenism, while in May he intends to travel to Australia to celebrate the 100 years since the founding of the Kytherian Association of Australia.

With many topics to discuss, we asked the first citizen of Kythera, what the Australian diaspora means for the island.

“First of all, I want to thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to communicate – through your historical newspaper – with the tens of thousands of expatriate Kytherians who are in Australia.

“When 4 years ago, the Ambassador of Australia to Greece Mr. Griffin visited our island, he was surprised to find that in every square, in every village, at every social event he constantly listened to conversations in English. “I think I’m in Sydney”! he told me.

This is exactly what Australia is like for our island: the alter ego of Kythera and Kytherians. There is no Kytherian house that has no relatives in Australia. 4,000 residents of Kythera, 80,000 Kythera Greeks of Australia! For us in Greece, this huge community means a lot.

“They are our compatriots who have successfully integrated into the Australian society, in the fields of economics, business, politics and culture and of course never forget their place of birth. They contribute in every way to the development of Kythera, strengthen the local economy, become sponsors of important projects and activities over time”.

The “Kytherian Migration Museum” and Australia Week

Recently, as the “Greek Herald” reported, the first step was taken to build the “Kytherian Migration Museum” in Agia Pelagia. We asked Efstratios Charchalakis where the project is standing at right now.

“The Kytherian Migration Museum started as an idea about 3 years ago. It was something I always had in mind and in 2019 I shared this thought and idea with the Association “Friends of Museums of Kythira ” (FMC), created mainly by Kytherians of the diaspora which contributed the most – throughout the years – to the financing of all studies for the reconstruction of the Archaeological Museum of Kythera that had suffered huge damage from the earthquake of 2006.

“Indeed, the FMC immediately embraced this emblematic idea and we proceeded in 2020 to sign a memorandum of cooperation. The total cost of the studies will exceed 60.000€ and will be covered entirely through the FMC and by contributions from expatriates (and not only). We estimate that the studies will be completed along with the licensing of the project in about 1 year from today.

“The project will be built in the settlement of Agia Pelagia. The settlement of Agia Pelagia was not chosen by chance. From the port of Agia Pelagia departed for Australia and the USA tens of thousands of Kytherians in the 40s and 50s. Therefore, there is a strong symbolism.

“The original plans have already been completed and are impressive. The museum will include state-of-the-art infrastructure, such as a conference hall, an outdoor event space, a roof garden, a shop, etc.

“It is a visionary infrastructure, not only for Kythera, but nationwide. Besides, there are very few immigration museums internationally and they are all located in state capitals and major cities (Ellis Island in N. York, London, Adelaide, Brussels, Amsterdam, Melbourne).

“The museum will present the phenomenon of migration in all its manifestations: how antikytherian immigrants were found in Chile in the 1870s, how the Kytherians “conquered” Izmir and Alexandria in the 19th century, then how they were found in Australia and the USA. It will definitely be something unique”, says the Mayor of Kythera, who as previously mentioned, plans the organization of the “Second week of Australia”.

“The “Second week of Australia in Kythera” aims to continue the corresponding action that we implemented for the first time in 2017, with the presence of the then Ambassador of Australia to Greece, Mr. John Griffin. The design is still in a very early stage because unfortunately the data are changing every day due to the pandemic”.

The meeting with the Australian Ambassador and the trip to Sydney

Recently, Mr. Charhalakis met the Australian Ambassador to Greece, the expatriate Arthur Spyrou, and confirmed the island’s ties to the country.

“Indeed I had the pleasure of meeting the Ambassador of Australia to Greece, Mr. Spyrou, who is of Greek origin.

“I had the opportunity to discuss with him about the Kytherian diaspora of Australia and the support of the embassy both in the creation of the Museum of Kythera Migration and in the organization of the “Second Australian week in Kythera”.

“Mr. Ambassador was delighted with the proposal for the creation of the Immigration Museum and we agreed to have close cooperation, while he will certainly visit our island.”

In 2022, the 100 years of the “Kytherian Association of Australia” will be celebrated, which was founded in 1922 in Sydney and continues its century-old contribution to the community and the island.

“With the president and members of the Kytherian Association of Australia (as with all expatriate Kytherian associations abroad) we have a lasting and excellent cooperation both as a municipality and as a local community more widely, for many years.

“Through the Association, important social and cultural activities have been funded on our island, such as the creation of the Municipal Library, the organization of cultural events, etc.

“With the president, Mr. Emmanuel Alfieris, as with the previous president, Mr. Victor Kepreotis, we have continuous communication and cooperation on a number of issues, such as the proposal for the construction of the statue of the expatriate Kytherios, in Agia Pelagia, at the expense of the Association, as part of 2022’s celebrations of 100 years since its establishment.

“I hope to visit Sydney next May, to participate in the anniversary events, which I am sure will be an occasion for the further strengthening of the relations of our expatriates with the homeland and at the same time will become a springboard for the new generation of Kytherians to learn and continue the history of their ancestors who many decades ago left their island for a very distant country, in search of a better life”.

The work of the Municipality and message to the Greek Australian community

Efstratios Charhalakis was first elected Mayor of Kythera in 2014 and although in Greece, even in the local government everything changes, the 40-year-old politician remains firmly in his position. It is a practical proof of his work, appreciated by his fellow citizens. We asked him to make a small reference to the challenges he faces, especially for expats who due to the pandemic did not manage to visit him in 2020 and 2021.

“Indeed, the absence of our expatriates during the summer of 2020 and 2021, was more than evident and had a serious economic impact on the local economy, as expatriates are also factors of strengthening local GDP, at a seasonal level. Perhaps the best reward of our work is that every summer thousands of Australian and US Kytherians visit our island, and they see significant positive changes. They see new completed projects of road construction, reconstruction, lighting, water supply and more.

“It is no coincidence, in fact, that the Municipal Authority has 2 (out of 9) municipal councillors who come from the Australian community and have lived many years in Australia”.

Concluding, this interesting interview, we asked the Mayor of Kythira to send through the “Greek Herald” a message to the Parikia.

“Firstly, I would like to wish the “Greek Herald” to continue its work for another 95 years and for much more. The Greek diaspora, wherever it is, is an honor for Greece. They are the ambassadors of Greek civilization to the lengths and widths of the Earth.

“Finally, I consider it crucial that there is the possibility of learning the Greek language and culture (patridognosia) in the new generations of our expatriates, because this is what will keep their ties with the homeland alive. If the Greek language is lost, then the ties of the expatriates with the homeland will be broken and this must necessarily be prevented”.

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